Contagious Happiness: Face to Face With Destiny
by Princess Helaine
Summary: This story just struck me. This is a first season romance with a twist.... It's the first part of a series of five... The next part, "Doubting Hearts" is out!
1. Contagious Happiness: Usagi

Disclaimer: I'm very, very poor and getting sued is a pain in the a**(as long as the word's not there….). So I'm going to say this once and only once, I DON' T OWN SAILORMOON! Of course, I wish I did……but anyway, FYI, anything that I write comes from this peabrain of mine so no plagiarizing for me either. If anything seems familiar…. obssessive minds think alike…. No offense to anyone, but we all know that we're a little obsessed with Sailormoon or whatever fanficton as soon as we start surfing the net for it. (Note: I do that, too *O*;;;) Okay, now on with the story….   
  
  
Contagious Happiness: Chapter 1  
  
What can I say? They struck and I was their target. By "they" I mean Motoki, Reika, Usagi, Rei, Mina, Makoto, and even the usual studious, quiet Ami! I, Mamoru Chiba, the epitome of gloom and doom, am currently planning a Christmas party at my apartment. What a joke! Nobody's going to come! Before I fly into a panic about this. Let me tell you about how I got stuck in this situation.  
I was walking down the street minding my own business when……  
  
A whirlwind of blond and blue crashed into me. Without even looking up, I knew who it was. Usak…oops!, Odango Atama, I mean, had fallen in a heap on top of me. All around us, shopping bags were scattered all over. The red and green CHRISTMAS shopping bags were a bad reminder of the pathetic way that I always celebrate Christmas…by studying. You see I hate Christmas. Everyone fakes nice or walks around talking to you like you're their best friend making you wonder if they killed your entire family and ate your dog. Although, in my case, neither dead family nor dog dinner are options since I don't have either. What I have that is right in front of me is the Queen of Christmas spirit, in short, Usagi.   
  
"Jeez, gained some weight didn't we?" began Mamoru. *Can't break traditions, can we?*  
  
"What! you baka! Didn't those stupid science books teach you that when a person has a winter coat on, they're heavier!" retorted an angry-faced Usagi who delivered the last few words with top volume. Inwardly, Usagi ached with the pain of having to keep up this charade with her love. She remembered their engagement during the Silver Millennium. She was the Princess Serenity of the Moon and he was the Prince Endymion of Earth. They, too had argued all the time, but it was more like a game and even as they disagreed, they could see the love in each other's eyes. Usagi had no such benefit.  
  
"I'm surprise you knew that Odango Atama! I would never have thought that you would pay attention in physics," taunted Mamoru.  
  
"DON'T CALL ME THAT! My name is USAGI! U-S-A-G-I! I know you're too much of a baka to remember but if you don't, I'm gonna…I'm gonna…" stuck, Usagi tried to think up a threat that might faze the smirking eighteen year old sempai. *so like the Endymion when I first met him, totally cold and unreachable.*  
  
"You're gonna what? Crash into me more? Throw your shoe and your test papers at me? Beat me up? Oh, don't hurt me please! I'm so scared of you and your flying shoes especially the ones with heels," he continued to taunt.  
  
You can see smoke coming out of her ears. *Amazing! She has no idea how cute she looks when she does that. Wait a minute, cute? I'm just tired and talking nonsense*, Mamoru tells himself.   
  
Recklessly, Usagi, blinded by the pain, blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I'm gonna get Tuxedo Mask to teach you a lesson you won't forget!" Realizing what came out, she covered her mouth in shock. *I can't believe I said that!*  
  
Mamoru was equally stunned, not only with what she said, but also with the pained look in her eyes. *I can't believe she said that! She knows me? I'm getting threatened with getting beat up by me? (Note: lol) What's with her? Why do her eyes suddenly seem so sad and hurt? Did I do that? A pang of regret shook his heart.*  
  
While he was regretting and contemplating, the words "Tuxedo Mask" cut through the haze of anger and pain reminding Usagi that she's already late and that Rei's going to turn her into potato chips if she doesn't show up at the temple soon. "Oh no! I'm gonna be sooooo late!" screeched Usagi *I'm so glad I have an excuse to get out of here* she thought as she zoomed past the still stunned Mamoru.   
  
~At the temple~  
  
Bad tempered Rei was pitching fire, literally. The impatient priestess-in-training occasionally forms fireballs and throws them towards the entrance where Usagi will soon be entering.  
Usagi could feel the heat before she even walked into the temple. *Uh oh!* Three hours late, she dodged one of Rei's fireballs and walked in with a slightly fearful, apologetic smile.  
  
"Hi, minna. Sorry, I was late. I bumped into Baka," she explained. Rei, stopped her fireball at midthrow and said in an exasperated voice, "You got into an argument with Mamoru again?!?"   
  
"Yeah," she mumbled.  
  
Sensing something between Mamoru and Usagi, she let the topic slip. Judging from Usagi's sudden expression of longing, Rei knew that her best friend felt something other than anger for Mamoru. Forgetting about the lateness, she started to show everyone the vision that she saw in the fire. Rei led them to concentrate and a moment later, the vision appeared.   
It was a vision of a golden thread with a silver thread intertwining with each other. The intertwined threads began to pulse with a silvery golden light. Then around the gold and silver thread, appeared two red threads that suddenly intertwined and revolved around the gold and silver thread. The same thing began to happen with two blue threads, two green threads, and two orange threads. Strangely, as more threads intertwined, the light of the gold and silver thread seem to pulse stronger and stronger. Then there was a blinding light and they woke from the trance.  
  
As the vision ended, everyone fell quiet in thought. Each had felt a feeling of déjà vu as Rei showed them the vision.   
  
"So what do you guys think about it?" asked Rei.  
  
"It seems familiar and I don't think it's anything negative," said Mina. "Rather, I think I felt love energy in those threads."  
  
"I thought so, too," said Rei.  
  
Meanwhile, Usagi panicked. *Oh no! They're getting too close to the truth! What if they find out? Oh Mother, you and Pluto dumped me into this mess. Get me out of it?!!?*   
  
  
Please R&R??!?? or e-mail me at icrystalrose8@yahoo.com if you like the idea of the story and want me to continue or if you want to give me advice. PLEASE REVIEW ME?????  



	2. Contagious Happiness: Usagi

My diclaimer from Chapter 1 applies   
  
Note: Yay!!!!!!! I got back positive feedbacks. No one flamed me! And….. people actually did like Quest and I ::brace yourself:: got e-mails! So I'm going to keep posting for those people whom I promised. Of course, if you don't like it, just don't read it! ::dodges tomatoes and gu... WAIT A MINUTE guns are not allowed!:: Okay, okay I give in, you get your story now… Please excuse any typos or grammar mistakes.  
  
  
Contagious Happiness 2  
  
Unfortunately, neither Pluto nor her mother could answer her plea for help. They, too were very, very busy. Poor Pluto……  
  
Pluto and Queen Serenity hopped from time to time, dimension to dimension, and portal to portal trying to stop the beginning of the next Negaverse war. Why? It's all Mamoru's fault. Damn him for being so hot! (AN: lol, I promise to explain this in the future. Just keep this image tucked in the back of your mind. )   
  
Usagi looked from face to face trying to gauge how much each senshi knew. Rei, being a priestess and Mina, being the daughter of the goddess of love, both showed some understanding on their face, but Ami and Makoto looked confused. *Just great, I have to deal with the most stubborn Pyro in the universe and the evil, meddling matchmaker! (Don't flame me all you Rei and Mina fans. I like them too but you have to admit that it's true sometimes!) Better get out of here until I have a plan*  
  
"Umm minna, I gotta go. My mom is going to have a fit when she sees my test and I don't want to be punished for being late also," rushed Usagi as she hops out the door.   
  
"Try studying Usagi! Call me if you need help!" Ami yells out the door.   
  
Usagi walks home dejectedly. *If only the timeline won't be messed up if I act like my true self! Stupid timelines!*  
  
Not thinking about where she was going, she wandered into the arcade and plopped down onto a stool in front of the counter. "Chocolate milkshake, Andrew," she automatically said.   
  
"Coming right up! What's the matter Usagi? You look like the world's coming to an end!" Andrew commented worriedly as he took on his big brother role.  
  
"It's nothing. I'm just tired and I failed another test," mumbled Usagi.  
  
Andrew didn't think that a bad grade would make her so upset, but before he can say anything, a familiar voice interrupted their little talk.  
  
"You failed ANOTHER test, Meatball Head?" Mamoru asked, pretending disbelief, "This is going to be the fifth one this week! No one can be this stupid. Well, except for you."  
  
"No it's the third," replied Usagi miserably. *God! I know that he doesn't remember me, but did he have to be so mean! I've done nothing, but tried to please him. He means so much to me and yet I mean so little to him. I'm merely a stupid high school girl while he's a freshman in THE Tokyo University. The fates must hate me, but if only Mamo-chan didn't hate me as well…. * The thought brought tears to my eyes. I tried to hold them back, clenching my teeth and holding my breath, but they started to spill down my cheeks anyway. I quickly ran out before Mamo-chan began his tauntings again.   
  
I watched in amazement as Usagi continued to stare in space in melancholy even though I had just called her Meatball Head. Usually she would have tore my head off by now. Then I looked at her face, really looked this time, her eyes were clenched closed and her jaw was tight. Then a tear rolled down her cheek. It looked like a crystal rolling on silk. I felt guilty for making her cry. What a scum I am! A hallow hole began to burn into my stomach and an ache grew in my heart as I watched her struggle to stop crying. I began to say something but I stopped as she opened her eyes. Her beautiful, blue eyes were red and puffy from the crying though I couldn't care less how she looked at this moment. What stopped me dead in my tracks were those eyes, those eyes that usually were so full of life, love, hope, and innocence look dead now and in them, I saw my own eyes, a pair of eyes filled with pain and loneliness. Then she turned and ran out.  
  
Andrew walked over to Mamoru and smacked him on the head. "Why did you have to tease her today of all days!?! She walked in looking like her world came to an end and you waltz right in to make her day worse! Why do you hate her so much?" scolded Andrew angrily.  
  
"Ww..hat do you mean? I don't hate her," Mamoru replied still feeling a bit shaken over what had just happened.  
  
"Sure could have fooled me! Probably fooled her, too. She thinks you hate her guts! She would sit here all the time and talked to me about you. All Usagi would say about your incessant cruelties was that it was her fault! That girl is so in love with you and you just break her heart! Why I'm best friends with such an inconsiderate snob is beyond me!" by the time he was finished with the last few sentences, Andrew's face had turned red and he was screaming. The rest of the arcade looked on surprised and mildly entertained by the outbursts.   
  
Mamoru's face had paled as he thought about Andrew's words. He remembered her eyes whenever he taunted her. They were filled with emotions that can be nothing but hurt and love. Then he remembered the dead look in her eyes. *Oh Usako, I never realized. I hurt you so. I know you'll never forgive me for stepping all over you when you're down, but for what it counts, I love you, too.* Dazed with anger and self disgust, he blindly walked out of the arcade.   
  
Then something broke through his hazy thoughts, Usagi was crossing the street as a green convertible screeched around the corner of the street and headed straight for Usagi. Not caring about anything, but his angel, he threw himself in front of the car pushing Usagi away.   
  
That's it for today! I hope you liked it! Please R&R! REVIEWS OR E-MAILS PLEASE!!!!!!   
  
  



	3. Contagious Happiness: Usagi

Disclaimer from Chapter 1 applies!  
  
Note: Thank you all of you that e-mailed me and/or reviewed me!  
  
Contagious Happiness 3  
  
Usagi vaguely heard screeching tires coming closer and closer. She looked up and froze in fear. *This is it, I'm going to die.* she thought. Then as she braced herself for the pain, she felt a warm body knocking her out of the way. *No!!* she mentally screams as she realized with shock that whoever that pushed her out of the way would be hit by the car. Her fears were confirmed when she heard a sickening thud.   
Ignoring her sore muscles she picked herself off the ground and spun around in dread and panic. She had a very bad gut feeling that her savior is likely a person who is close to her. Full of foreboding she lowered her eyes to the unmoving figure in the street and her heart stopped. Only one person that she knows has that dark green jacket and that raven black color hair. *No, no, no!! Not Mamo-chan! Please Mother no!!* she mentally screams in anguish. It felt like someone had just ripped her heart out and tore it into a million pieces. She ran to her love and dropped down next to him as tears began running down her pale cheeks and onto his face. *He can't be dead. He can't be dead!* she chanted to herself like a mantra trying to convince herself even as she knew he is gone. "Mamo-chan, don't leave me again, my love. Wake up! Wake up!" she yells as she sobs helplessly.   
  
The pain of knowing that he died for her again was too much. She felt sharp arrows of pain and grief strike her entire being. This was too much like what happened in the Silver Millennium when he pushed her out of the way of Beryl's blasts. *It's all my fault. No wonder you hated me so as Mamoru, I bring you death even in this life.* Busy blaming herself, she was startled as a hand rested on her cheek.  
  
Mamoru was floating in a world of pitch-black darkness. He remembered pushing his Usako out of the way, but everything afterwards felt like a blur of pain and fear. Then slowly, he began to hear sobs, her sobs. Hope filled him as he wonders *She cares for me! After everything I did, she still cares for me!* He struggled to open his eyes and ask his angel if she loves him. Light seeped through as he groaned in pain. Then he saw her next to him crying like her heart's been broken. Her cries shredded his heart as he felt her pain. Reaching up painfully, he rested a hand on one of her soft, tear stained cheeks.   
She quickly lifted her gaze to his face and saw him looking back at her. Joy and hope threatened to enter her heart even as she knew that he might not live for long. "I love you, Mamo-chan. Don't leave me, please," she begs.   
Despite the pain, Mamoru was ecstatic. His angel loves him. She forgave his stupidity. She actually loves him, the cold, boring freshman in college, the jerk that teased her and made her cry. His face broke out in a weak smile, but as he tried to tell her that he loves her too, the darkness settled in once more.  
Usagi could hear an ambulance driving quickly towards them. *Someone must have called for help! How could I have forgotten to call?!? Just hang on a little longer, love, help is coming!* Then she saw him try to speak, but slowly his eyelids drooped shut again. *NO, HE' S NOT GOING TO DIE ON ME NOW!* she screams silently as the medics came and loaded him onto the stretcher. She followed them to the hospital in frantic fear.   
  
~In the waiting room~  
  
Usagi was sitting between Minako and Ami. Both girls were trying to comfort their terrified friend. Rei was pacing the halls as Makoto randomly punched the walls in her fustration. Motoki had not spoken a word since Usagi told them about the accident and neither had Usagi. Everyone was strained and stressed at the thought of Mamoru fighting for his life.  
Minako could feel her friend's love for Mamoru and her pain and fear. She wondered at it even as she tried to comfort Usagi. *How could I have missed it? They're in love.*  
Makoto was mad. She was very, very mad at herself. She blamed herself for not being there to save Usagi. If she had been there, Mamoru would not be in this mess and her best friend wouldn't be heartbroken. She knew all too well how it felt to be heartbroken. (AN: I'll explain this later) Poor Usagi...  
Rei was worried. Before she received the call from Usagi, she had felt a major change in the vision. The gold thread was beginning to flicker out of existence. Knowing now that Mamoru is a crucial part of the future, she can only hope that he will survive and that Usagi isn't the silver thread that is intertwined with the gold thread that is Mamoru because if she is and intertwined threads can not survive without one another........   
Ami felt helpless. Mamoru is in operation. Her first best friend is suffering and she can't help her despite all her studying to be a doctor. *I hope Mom can help him.*  
Motoki felt both guilty and grief-stricken. His best friend ran out of the arcade because he yelled at him about Usagi. Now, he's hanging onto life by his pinkie. If only he did not yell at him……….  
All that flashed through Usagi's mind are images of herself yelling at him, of him pushing her out of the way of the car, and of him smiling weakly as she confessed her love for him. *He won't leave me! Mother, you won't let him die!* she thought with determination.   
  
Then the door to the operation room opened. Heart beating wildly *This is it!*, Usagi rushed to the doctor, but before she can attack her with questions, Dr. Anderson held up a hand asking for silence.   
  
"There's a good chance that he's going to live," she began, but was cut off by everyone's happy "YES!" and sighs of relief. "but we don't know if he will ever be able to use his right leg again. The nerves there are severely damaged." she finished.   
  
Don't flame me. His condition is TEMPORARY! Please Review! E-mail comments?!?! 


	4. Contagious Happiness: Usagi

Disclaimer from Chapter 1 applies!  
  
Note: Thank you Thank you Thank you for all your e-mails and reviews. I can't live without them! I'm on vacation now so.... I can write more if people want me to :::hint hint emails???:: Bad News though is that this is not going to be a very eventful chapter because I'm setting the table for the next chapter, which will hopefully be good!  
  
  
Contagious Happiness 4  
  
Usagi's heart plummeted to the floor. *Not Mamo-chan, no it can't be!* Shocked and scared, flashbacks echoed through her mind. Her eyes began to swim as she pictured his wonderful swagger, his bold confidence, and his panther-like gracefulness. *Her Mamo-chan in a wheelchair?* The thought of it made her want to cry. Competent, independent, proud Mamo-chan won't be able to walk anymore. He, Mr. Self Reliant, will have to swallow his pride and rely on someone to help him do normal things. *This is my fault, all my fault!* she lamented to herself.  
  
Finally dragging up the guts to ask Ami's mother/ the doctor, she shakily begs, "May I go see him?"  
  
Dr. Anderson looked down at her daughter's best friend and thought *She's too young to know this pain.* Then she thought of the young man's broken body that is currently attached to all different kinds of machines. *Better that she doesn't see him in his condition now* Having decided, she answered Usagi with a "He needs his rest now and shouldn't be disturbed."   
  
~2:00AM that night~  
  
She couldn't sleep even if she wanted to. She knew that she shouldn't be doing this. She shouldn't use her alternate identity for anything, but youma fights. Luna would kill her if she knew but her love for her Mamo-chan overrode the voice of her little conscience and her common sense. *He needs to rest. I shouldn't disturb him.* she thought even as she prepared to jump out of her window and head over to the hospital. Silently, she landed on the grass and blended in with the shadows as she began the long walk.  
  
~45 minutes later~  
Finally here. "Moon Phantom" she whispered. Then Sailor Moon flips in through the closed window. Anyone would have been freaked to see the window pass right through her but she seems nonchalant about the idea. Her main concern right now is the man on the bed right now. Her heart wrenched as she saw the needles in his arms, the bandages on his legs, and the cast holding his ribs. *He's going to hate me when he wakes up! I'm the reason why he's going to be ...*   
  
Eyes resting on his peaceful face, she detransformed and seated herself next to him. Taking his hand in her small hands, she lowered her face next to his hand and cried herself to sleep while Mamoru, trapped in a drugged sleep, could do nothing but listen to her sobs. An unnoticed, lone tear seeped through his closed eyelids and made it's way down his cheek and onto the pillow.  
  
~The next morning~  
Mamoru woke to the feeling of soft warmth next to him. He opened his eyes and looked around. His eyes landed on a blond angel with a tearstained face and he grinned foolishly remembering her declaring her love to him. *God I wish I didn't put her through all that!* Then a knock sounded from the door.  
  
"Come in," said Mamoru reluctantly. *Just my luck, whoever that is will probably wake Usako up!*  
  
Dr. Anderson walked in and raised an eyebrow at the picture she saw. Usagi laid half sprawled next to him and he seems to be enjoying it. *Teenagers!* she thought with an inner giggle. She can still remember being found in a similar position by her parents when she was with Ami's father. (AN: LOL! Serious, proper Dr. Anderson being caught necking with Ami's father!) Then she turned serious again as she saw Mamoru's expression change from a slightly annoyed one to a panicked one. *Uh oh!*  
  
"Why can't I move my right leg?" asked a panicked Mamoru. *Am I paralyzed?*  
  
Sighing, she told him about his leg. "The nerves in your right leg were damaged severely. You might not be able to walk again but there is a 50/50 chance of you recovering," seeing his hysteria, she comforted him, "You're young and heal very fast. You have wonderful people supporting you. Don't lose hope!"  
  
By now Mamoru had gotten hold of his emotions. His face was an expressionless mask. As Dr. Anderson was called away to the emergency room, he looked down at his Usako (AN: Amazing that she slept through it all, right? :). The words "might not be able to walk again" echoed through his mind. He can feel the heavy burden of fear and loss on his shoulders.   
  
*This is not fair to her. She deserves better than me. I'm a handicap now and I can't let her waste her time taking care of me. I won't let her waste her life or her childhood. Sooner or later, she'll begin to hate me. Anyone would. I don't deserve her.* With that, I made my decision, I'm going to let her go.   
  
Please REVIEW or E-MAIL me? 


	5. Contagious Happiness: Usagi

Disclaimer from Chapter 1 applies!  
  
Note: Thank you Thank you Thank you for all your e-mails and reviews. I can't live without them! I'm really really sorry that this chapter is really short because it is really sappy! I didn't think that your stomachs would handle a big, long chapter of sap well so………anyway on with the story!  
  
  
Contagious Happiness 5  
  
Bright rays of sunlight pierced a corner of her sleeping mind. One eye opened and the other eye followed as she saw that Mamoru's awake and deep in thought next to her. Joy bubbled up inside her as she saw for herself that he's not on the verge of death anymore. His bandages were still there, but his needles were gone. *Thank the moon that he's alive! Does he know about his leg?……* she wondered nervously.  
Watching his face, she placed her hand in his and gently squeezed it comfortingly. He turned towards her quickly and nearly melted under her loving gaze. *Okay, Mamoru! Time to do The Act!* he told himself as his heart throbbed with pain.  
  
"What are you doing here?" he began in a cool, disinterested tone.  
  
Her heart dropped to the floor in despair. *So he knows about his leg…..he hates me!" she thought forlornly as her eyes reflected her helpless, broken soul.   
  
Mamoru flinched at the wounded look in his love's eyes. *I must do this!* he reasoned with himself. Blindly, he trudged on, "Don't you think you've done enough? It's all your fault damnit! It's you! You're the reason why I lost my leg. You're the reason why I'll never be normal again. Get out! Get the hell out! I never want to see you again!" he nearly roared at the crying girl.  
  
Through quivering lips, she replied in a small voice, "You're right. Everything was my fault. Everything. I..I'll leave now…. Take care of yourself, Mamo-chan. I..I love you." Without looking back, she ran out of his room in tears.  
  
*I did it. I drove her away. I drove away my only love, my only joy.* Sinking down into the covers, he tried to block out the image of her looking so hurt, so vulnerable, so heartbreakingly beautiful as she declared her love to him. *Oh god….how I must have hurt her!" Breathing pained him as he replayed the conversation in his mind. Then he recalled the night before when Usako cried for him. *She actually thought that everything was her fault……. oh my little Usako!*   
  
Leaning back, he allowed the tears to flow from his dead, blue eyes.   
  
Usagi was angry and hurt. *How dare he?!!? Like I wanted him to lose his leg! Running through the streets of Jubann, she forgot to bump into people. * I'm going to be myself again! I don't care anymore. It's all over now. Stupid timeline is ruined now anyway.*   
  
She arrived at the docks and slid to the floor crying. Then riding on a wave of anger, she lifted the Moon staff over her head and rashly began the incantation, "Tear my soul from Mamoru's now. Should one day I feel a greater pain, take me back to the moon. If I cannot return, may I never awaken again! So I wish it, so will it be!" A bright light exploded from the Silver Crystal bathing her entire self in its' pure light.  
  
In the hospital room, Mamoru felt a jolt of shock and pain as he felt a part of his soul tear away. "Usako…" he whispered as he clutched at his heart. As suddenly as it came, it was gone, but he knew what the jolt had meant….Usako separated her soul from his. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. His pain felt unbearable. "Oh love…you must hate me now."  
  
Please Review?  



	6. Contagious Happiness: Usagi

Disclaimer from Chapter 1 applies!  
  
Note: Yes, the promised second chapter for this week. It's here! And BTW thank you thank you thank you for all your e-mails and reviews. I'm really really sorry that this chapter is kinda short because I don't have much time!   
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Rei sat by the great fire, meditating to calm her stress. Her best friend almost got run over by a car. Mamoru's in the hospital with only one working leg because he saved her last minute. *Things are going well!* she thought sarcastically.  
  
Usagi hasn't been herself since she came back from the hospital. She always looks broken-hearted and sad, like she had lost her very reason for life. When she thinks that no one's looking, she would let the tears run down her cheeks. Not the loud, famous Usagi wails. They were quiet, pain-filled sobs. Sobs that can break even the coldest hearts.  
  
Shockingly, she doesn't klutz out anymore! Neither has she fail in school or pigged out since the accident. *Something must have happened between Usagi and Mamoru! They're in love. That's the only explanation for what is happening.* Then she stopped for a moment and mentally added, *I can't believe that we all thought they hated each other!*  
  
Then she realized that her goal in meditating now is to forget about all the problems for now. *Just can't escape! Problems haunt you anywhere.* she sighed in annoyance. Before she could banish the thoughts from her mind, a vision came over her. This time, the silver thread and the gold thread were separating. Then, the silver thread dulled to a light gray color and the gold thread followed…  
  
Alarmed and frazzled more than ever, she called an emergency senshi meeting.  
  
When all four girls and two cats arrived…  
  
Rei shifted uncomfortably by the great fire as it roared to life. After telling everyone what she had seen, she was told, I mean, ORDERED by Usagi to consult the great fire for advice. This new personality of Usagi is driving everyone nuts. All of them miss the klutzy, cheerful girl who became their first true friend.  
  
Carelessly, Rei allowed her mind to wander. As she closed her eyes and went deeper and deeper into the trance, an image flickered into her mind. It was a handsome man with gold-blond hair and twinkling blue-gray eyes. His body's lean and muscular. He radiated masculinity and a confident arrogance. Then he began to glow a fierce red as his aura became awfully clear to Rei.   
  
Shock and fear made her lose her concentration. She surfaced suddenly from the trance. She felt herself sweating profusely. Confused by the amount of emotions she felt for this man, she was speechless as the other senshi bombarded her with questions.  
  
"Rei, are you okay?" asked Ami.  
  
"Yeah, Rei, are you okay? What did you see?" asked Lita worriedly. *I've never seen her this shaken before!*  
  
"Guys, give her time. Let her relax and speak," said Usagi as she looked with curiosity and worry upon her best friend.  
  
Grateful for the excuse, she escaped saying, "I smell like a pig right now. Let me take a bath and think about how I can tell you what I saw and felt." With that, she rushed off.  
  
Only Mina, who had been silent during the entire exchange, did not worry. She felt a shock of energy, a very familiar type of energy, when Rei saw the man. *Love energy! She saw her soulmate!*  
  
Usagi, too had recognized Rei's emotions. *Of course I recognize it, been there, done that! And failed at it too…* As she bitterly thought back to Mamoru, her "princess face" dropped just a bit.   
  
While in the hospital…  
  
Mamoru was sulking. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. He couldn't think. Whenever he closed his eyes, Usako's cheerful face came to mind, but then it would suddenly be replaced by the devastated, tearstained face that was his last memory of her. Dinner had been spaghetti and meatballs. Needless to say, he took one look at it and lost his appetite. *Usako…love…my Odango Atama…*  
  
*God it hurts! Like a cancer gnawing away at your insides. But I deserve it. You deserve it, Mamoru!* as he mentally yelled at himself.  
  
Depressed, he thought brokenly, *Usako, I'm so sorry…* as he stared at the chair that his love had last sat on.  
  
*Everything's too late now. She broke her soul from mine. She hates me, now. The bond is gone, but my heart and my soul are still with her …even if she'll never know it…even if she despises me. She'll never know that I love her and that I always will…That is the way it has to be.*  
  
Despair and anger overwhelmed him. *Stupid driver! Stupid leg!*  
  
Then his thoughts turned to regret. *Maybe I shouldn't have… If only…*  
  
Then the air in the room suddenly ripped. A big rent appeared. It was black and deep. A gravitational force began to suck things, including Mamoru into the portal. Gripping the bed with both hands, he managed to stay on the bed. *Help!!* he mentally screams.  
  
In Usagi's house  
  
A loud, mental *Help!!* roared through Usagi' s head. *Mamoru!!* recognized Usagi as she transformed. After an explosion of lights, Sailor Moon took the place of Usagi. Worried and scared more than she had ever been, she used the forbidden teleportation…  
  
Outside of his room…  
  
Usagi was teleported to the outside of Mamoru's room. Rushing in, Usagi suddenly came into the middle of a gravitational field.  
  
"Usako! No! Run!" Mamoru yelled. He felt his heart stop as Usagi was sucked into the black portal. Letting go of the bed, he hurriedly followed Usagi. *If she dies, let me die with her!* was his only thought as he came through the portal and into the scary unknown.  
  
I'll explain the forbidden teleportation, where Pluto and Queen Serenity are, Rei's soulmate, and the portal in future chapters! For now, tuck it in the back of your mind. J  
  
Please e-mail me or review?  



	7. Contagious Happiness: Usagi

Contagious Happiness 7  
  
Sailor Pluto, Guardian of Time and Space, felt a hard jolt as she fought to close the dimensional Doors with the help of Queen Serenity. A vision of a black portal sucking in Mamoru and Usagi flashed through her mind as she quickly scanned for the discrepancy in the dimensional stream with her magic.  
  
"No!" she shook her head in fearful disbelief as she helplessly watched the two royals tumble out of the other side of the portal just as the Doors rumbled shut.  
  
"What is it, Pluto?" asked the anxious Queen. A feeling of impending doom streaked through her just as Pluto screamed.  
  
"The Princess and the Prince…they were sucked into the portal…the dimensional portal that we had finally succeeded to close…" Pluto told her Queen gently.  
  
"You mean… they were… But no one can cross dimensions now that the Doors had been sealed," cried the stunned Queen.  
  
"Yes, Your Majesty, I'm afraid they're trapped in whatever dimension they landed in. Without a tremendous amount of energy, there is no way they can come back. The princess cannot harness her powers yet. She is not well. Her fight with the prince had weakened her," Pluto answered her unspoken question steadily with strained, tenacious control.   
  
"And we can't reopen the Doors… SHE will escape…" Serenity added bleakly.  
  
"There's something else…" Pluto trailed off, afraid for her already strickened queen. *Oh Selene! I don't think she can take this last piece of news…*   
  
"It's alright. I can take it. Tell me…" she said. Her tone was gentle, but firm.  
  
Sighing, Pluto answered, "The Princess used her teleportation powers. Soon, soon now… the Generals will awaken. Only thorn on this rose is that… they might still be loyal to Beryl."  
  
Staggered, Serenity stumbled backwards. For the first time since the end of the Silver Millennium… the brave queen and the lone guardian wept with fear for the future.   
  
Meanwhile…  
  
In a peaceful world where the skies are silver and the trees are gold…  
  
!Thud! … !Thud!  
  
"Oomph!" groaned Usagi under Mamoru's weight. *And he says I pig out!*  
  
"Are you alright?!?" asked a frazzled Mamoru.   
  
Smiling an all too sweet smile, Usagi proceeded to make her point in top volume.   
  
"WHAT DO YOU THINK? YOU BAKA! DO YOU EAT ROCKS OR SOMETHING? Jeez, and they say I eat a lot!"   
  
Angered by her crack about his weight, he retaliated.  
  
"It's the muscles that weigh a lot. Although we can't say the same about you!"  
  
A little hurt, she pushed him off with a shove and picked herself off the ground.   
  
"Oof!!" he groaned in pain as he landed on his right side, the bandaged one…  
  
Rushing to his side, she tearfully cried, "Mamo-chan! Gomen! I didn't mean to…" She trailed off as she saw that his eyes were tightly shut. One fist was clenched, while the other was pressed against his right side in an attempt to stop the bleeding. His lips were a pale thin line, compressed in pain. *I…I… how can I be so cruel… he's already suffered so much because of me… now I…* Her heart suddenly ached unbearably.  
  
"I…I'm alright. No big deal…" he forced out between gritted teeth. He tried to rise but then realized that he couldn't… His leg. His face paled even further.   
  
As if reading his mind, Usagi gently offered, "I remember seeing a Lunar rover in my subspace pocket. You can use it to get around."   
  
"Your what!?!?" exclaimed Mamoru in shock. *She's…. no, it can't be…*  
  
"Yes, I'm Sailor Moon," replied Usagi calmly. *Desperate times call for desperate measures* "Moon Prism Power! Make up!!!!!" In a flash of lights, Sailor Moon stood in front of the shocked man.  
  
*It's only fair…* thought Mamoru as he quietly took a rose from his own subspace pocket and transformed into Tuxedo Kamen.   
  
Sailor Moon felt her jaws drop. She watched as rose petals danced around Mamoru's prostrate figure. In a flurry of motion, Tuxedo Kamen stood in front of a stunned senshi of the Moon.  
  
*Mamoru Chiba, Prince of Earth is also Tuxedo Kamen!!!* her brain screamed in shock even as it began to accept the truth. Images of Mamoru and Tuxedo Kamen streamed through her mind. Same raven-black hair, same chiseled features, same lanky, solid build, and most of all, the same determination to protect her. Slowly her mouth formed an OH, but nothing came out.  
  
Despite his pain, he grinned cockily at the expression on her face. "Yes… I'm the guy you go all gaga over after every fight," he teased with great relish.  
  
Instantly, she flushed a bright red. It was amazing how fast a girl's face can change from a light pink to a tomato red. But then, he'll always have that influence on her.  
  
Then, her mind wandered back to the wound in his side. She reached into her portal for her moon wand. *Too bad it can't heal his legs… my powers are still too weak*   
  
Mamoru moved away on his backside nervously and stuttered, "Hey! I..I was only kidding. Kidding. No need to take that out!"  
  
For a minute, she was confused. Then she realized what he thought she had taken out the wand for. A dull ache formed in her heart as she witnessed his distrust of her. *If he wants to think…*  
  
Wickedly, she pointed the glowing wand towards him and began, "Moon…" His eyes widened in shock. *She's going to moondust me!?!* "Healing… Activation!" she finished as the healing light of the Silver Crystal seeped into him healing all the small cuts and wounds on his body.  
  
"Oh!" he murmured quietly. *oops!*  
  
"You sure trust me a whole lot don't you?"  
  
He felt a bit ashamed of himself for thinking that she would hurt him.  
  
"If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have gone to that hospital room when you called for help. If I wanted you dead, I would just have left you here! Damnit! You thought so little of me that, in your mind, I can kill the man that I love!" she finished loudly as her eyes filled with tears of pain and anger.  
  
*Why, why can't he forgive me? I would rather have lost my arms and my legs than have him suffer his loss. I never wanted him harmed. He thinks I want him dead! He hates me…*   
  
She lowered herself to the ground sobbing with grief and a numbing pain that now became familiar to her.   
  
Mamoru felt his heart being stabbed again and again as she cried because of him, because of what a jerk he was being… because of the jerk that he had to be. *You fool! She needs you and you need her! Go to her!* Listening to his heart, he slowly edged towards his love hoping that he can fix whatever damage his stupidity had created.  
  
She felt a warmth surround her in her misery. *Mamo-chan…Mamo-chan* she cried mentally. He hugged her close to him as tears peeked out from under his long lashes.   
  
Kissing her face, he murmured, "I'm sorry, so sorry, my love." Her breath caught as she heard his words. *love?* Raising her tearstained face towards his, she asked him, "Do you really love me? Am I really your love? Don't say it if you don't mean it. I know that everything's my fault, but… please have mercy on me. Don't be so cruel. A heart can only take so much," she ended with a pleading sob.   
  
His throat constricted with more tears. Watching his usually bright, happy innocent Usako cry so brokenly tore him apart. He lowered his tormented eyes to her face and poured out his heart to her.   
  
"My angel, Usako. Oh I hurt you so. Please forgive me. Forgive me, Usako. I do love you. You will always be my love. Forever! Even when the sun and the moon no longer shines!"  
  
"You forgive me?" she asked in a small voice.  
  
"There's nothing to forgive! You did nothing wrong! It was me. I'm the one that needs to be forgiven!" argued Mamoru fiercely.  
  
"Yes there is!" argued Usagi just as fiercely  
  
Thinking for a moment, she proposed, "I'll forgive you if you'll forgive me!"   
  
"Deal!" he agreed as he captured her lips in a kiss. It was their first, but it felt as though they had done it a million times. Her lips parted instinctively under his as heat slammed into her like erupting lava. Soon they were lost the paradise of sensations that they had created.  
  
Suddenly…  
  
A cackling laughter resounded in the beautiful world. Then an ugly feminine voice called out, "Enjoy your little moment of fun, Princess, but Endymion is mine! Oh yeah, by the way, welcome to my world…" 


End file.
